*EDIT*Holy crap, THIS is now at the top of the [not] pi page - there's got to be irony or something in that, but since I doubt anyone will ever read this, it's a mootmute point

mootThey're interchangable, has anyone really been confused as to what someone meant when they used "mute" instead of "moot"?pedanticsorryI used to mock a friend constantly for saying "it's a mute point" - but that was really because it was fun to mock him, not because it really bothered menostalgiamiss younow he's halfway across the country, and although he was wrong about pretty much every little thing, I wish I'd listened to him on the big ones, cause he was right about those - go figure...

So, what's everyone's opinion on the evolutionary origins of ruminate digestion in ungulates and the uniqueness of that clade among mammals in their ability to metabolize cellulose? Could the comic be about that?

histrion wrote:Someone earlier in the needle-pulled-thingy - sorry, I don't recall who - said that C's quote about raining on the sea being "a waste" was probably a reference to Isaac Asimov's book Asimov on Numbers. I was able to find a copy of that book in PDF form online, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Is it possible that the OTC is intended to have a mathematical symbolism of some kind?

Did you just ask whether it's possible than an elaborate xkcd comic is actually some sort of math puzzle? Of course that's possible!

But I don't think we have any evidence of that, unless the folks trying to make sense of the file hashes ever got anywhere.

"Is it possible" was intended to act as a rhetorical device indicating a desire for others to join me in exploration.

Oh, LordRandall, I'm really pedantic today.

Actually, I think that makes me the pedantic one.

Also: flooding. Yay! I'm curious to see how the presumptive-water interacts with the presumptive-sand.

histrion wrote:Someone earlier in the needle-pulled-thingy - sorry, I don't recall who - said that C's quote about raining on the sea being "a waste" was probably a reference to Isaac Asimov's book Asimov on Numbers. I was able to find a copy of that book in PDF form online, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Is it possible that the OTC is intended to have a mathematical symbolism of some kind?

Did you just ask whether it's possible than an elaborate xkcd comic is actually some sort of math puzzle? Of course that's possible!

But I don't think we have any evidence of that, unless the folks trying to make sense of the file hashes ever got anywhere.

Has anyone analyzed the hash of the image names to see if that may have something to do with it?*ducks flying vegetables*What, has somebody said that before?

Ducks flying vegetables? Really, now, this is getting ridiculous.First of all, where would they even get pilots' licences???

From the academy of course!

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

Ducks flying vegetables? Really, now, this is getting ridiculous.First of all, where would they even get pilots' licences???

From the academy of course!

Does it rain there?

And if so, is it in the middle of the sea?

Strangely enough, it rains cats and dogs. Not only do we not know how they get up there, but we don't know why they keep going back up or how they got to the middle of the sea in the first place.

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

Such happenings in only a few short newpages of the thread of Time! The painstaking Scaffolding work Megan conducted alone apparently grew tedious to the thread-dwellers of the past, and they turned to various subjects, including the random perversity of BBCode, sleepless Knights, iPads with hover capabilites, and niblings, before once more the stream of consciousness swirled into a gender-neutral pronoun eddy. I waded through the discussion in somewhat of a haze, with a strong sense of déjà vu... Given enough Time, even forum threads will begin to repeat themselves.

I meandered past several more sig-sightings:

Spoiler:

StratPlayer wrote:Another Spoiler for Blitzgirl!Spoiler: The Butler did it!Also, time is recursive, and the world is an hourglass, klein bottle, ant farm, spaceship, 2D, 3D, 2/3D, and potentially all just a dream.

Good to know.

Angelastic wrote:There will be cake on page 360.

Cake is good. As long as it isn't a lie.

StratPlayer wrote:"Time is amazing, each moment that occurs;the more I learn of it, the less I know it.Hail Blitzgirl, of the massive titulars:Time traveler, inspiration, and poet!"

Smithers wrote:Dear BlitzGirl,after all of your messages into the future, I felt compelled to reply by sending one into the past. I hope this message finds you well and that your quest continues strong.

Godspeed,Smithers

It is the first post I have encountered that references my Quest; through the magic of edits, it pre-dates even my own signposts to myself. It is a beacon as I wade across the sea/not-sea of posts electing the Pope of the One True Comic. All is not lost. There is hope yet for me, future-dwellers (or rather, those who dwell in the present Time of this thread, while I stalk through its past)! One day, if all bodes well, I shall meet you among the living newpages. Until then, I journey onward!

And then this happened:

Spoiler:

htom wrote:

ChronosDragon wrote:I awake!

You were all so caught up in your pronoun discussions that you missed an important piece of quest information from Blitzgirl: <snip>She slowly but surely catches up. We should prepare a ceremony for when she finally reaches us, in the future!

Yes! A ceremony is definitely called for, and a custom title. "Omnilector of Time" perhaps.

I thought the title was the end of it. But nooo...a parallel conversation:

ChronosDragon wrote:

edo wrote:

Febrion wrote:

StratPlayer wrote:

ChronosDragon wrote:She slowly but surely catches up. We should prepare a ceremony for when she finally reaches us, in the future!

You are right! If Helper is still AWOL, I propose we make BlitzGirl the new Pope upon her arrival!

Which then leads to the question: Is "Pope" a genderless title, or do we need to come up with an alternative?

Speaking as an outsider (to the religion, not an "Outsider"), since there hasn't been a female Pope, it's hard to tell. Would they be called a Mome? If a Mome and a Pope owned a shop, would it be a Mome and Pope shop?The if the knights are of the Eastern church, they will be welcomed by the Western Paradox Church, (who will no doubt shun them.)

Au contraire, a quick google search for "female pope" reveals Pope Joan, who may or may not be fictional but nevertheless proves that Pope is a genderless title.

Now Wait just a newpix! I didn't sign up for this!

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

Knight Temporal of the One True ComicBlitzGirl the Pink, Mopey Molpy Mome

Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to worry. Unless you don't like to be burnt by the Inquisition, then you should worry.This reminds me that once I started to recite the digits of Pi with "three point two... doh"一, it happens.

一: then I restarted and went through the first 120 or so digits without errors二二: yes, I spent some of my time三 to learn a lot of useless digits of Pi that I will never use because I will never need that level of approximation三四: sorry, I meant Time四: I saw that footnotes are quite popoular, so I though: "Why not?"

buffygirl wrote:I, Timewaiter Buffygirl, Cardinal of The One True Comic, do hereby nominate you, udscbt, for the position of Cardinal. -poof!- You're a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Wait, that's not right - - -

bigcrag92 wrote:I Bigcrag92 being of soundish mind yada yada yada do ratify the cardinalship of udscbt nominated by buffygirl. may I and buffygirl be stuck down if we have erred in this decision.

bigcrag92 (continued...) wrote:by the power vested in me I now name you Cardinal peanut butter and jelly sandwich udscbt. arise my brethren

BlitzGirl wrote:...somewhere in the thread between my present and your present.....

PRESENTS?!!??!!! I didn't know there would be presents!*happy dance*

Each of us has but one present to give: our presence.

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

But based on the visual evidence and implied information, belliott seems to be correct.

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

Such happenings in only a few short newpages of the thread of Time! The painstaking Scaffolding work Megan conducted alone apparently grew tedious to the thread-dwellers of the past, and they turned to various subjects, including the random perversity of BBCode, sleepless Knights, iPads with hover capabilites, and niblings, before once more the stream of consciousness swirled into a gender-neutral pronoun eddy. I waded through the discussion in somewhat of a haze, with a strong sense of déjà vu... Given enough Time, even forum threads will begin to repeat themselves.

I meandered past several more sig-sightings:

Spoiler:

StratPlayer wrote:Another Spoiler for Blitzgirl!Spoiler: The Butler did it!Also, time is recursive, and the world is an hourglass, klein bottle, ant farm, spaceship, 2D, 3D, 2/3D, and potentially all just a dream.

Good to know.

Angelastic wrote:There will be cake on page 360.

Cake is good. As long as it isn't a lie.

StratPlayer wrote:"Time is amazing, each moment that occurs;the more I learn of it, the less I know it.Hail Blitzgirl, of the massive titulars:Time traveler, inspiration, and poet!"

Smithers wrote:Dear BlitzGirl,after all of your messages into the future, I felt compelled to reply by sending one into the past. I hope this message finds you well and that your quest continues strong.

Godspeed,Smithers

It is the first post I have encountered that references my Quest; through the magic of edits, it pre-dates even my own signposts to myself. It is a beacon as I wade across the sea/not-sea of posts electing the Pope of the One True Comic. All is not lost. There is hope yet for me, future-dwellers (or rather, those who dwell in the present Time of this thread, while I stalk through its past)! One day, if all bodes well, I shall meet you among the living newpages. Until then, I journey onward!

And then this happened:

Spoiler:

htom wrote:

ChronosDragon wrote:I awake!

You were all so caught up in your pronoun discussions that you missed an important piece of quest information from Blitzgirl: <snip>She slowly but surely catches up. We should prepare a ceremony for when she finally reaches us, in the future!

Yes! A ceremony is definitely called for, and a custom title. "Omnilector of Time" perhaps.

I thought the title was the end of it. But nooo...a parallel conversation:

ChronosDragon wrote:

edo wrote:

Febrion wrote:

StratPlayer wrote:

ChronosDragon wrote:She slowly but surely catches up. We should prepare a ceremony for when she finally reaches us, in the future!

You are right! If Helper is still AWOL, I propose we make BlitzGirl the new Pope upon her arrival!

Which then leads to the question: Is "Pope" a genderless title, or do we need to come up with an alternative?

Speaking as an outsider (to the religion, not an "Outsider"), since there hasn't been a female Pope, it's hard to tell. Would they be called a Mome? If a Mome and a Pope owned a shop, would it be a Mome and Pope shop?The if the knights are of the Eastern church, they will be welcomed by the Western Paradox Church, (who will no doubt shun them.)

Au contraire, a quick google search for "female pope" reveals Pope Joan, who may or may not be fictional but nevertheless proves that Pope is a genderless title.

Now Wait just a newpix! I didn't sign up for this!

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

After long meditation I declare that if when Too-Many-Titles BlitzGirl catch up with the thread she will be recognized as Living Blessed because the success of her Holy Quest is clearly a miracle.If, when that happen, she will still be in full at least partial possession of her faculties, that will be considered a second miracle and she will be cannonized as Living Saint.

buffygirl wrote:I, Timewaiter Buffygirl, Cardinal of The One True Comic, do hereby nominate you, udscbt, for the position of Cardinal. -poof!- You're a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Wait, that's not right - - -

bigcrag92 wrote:I Bigcrag92 being of soundish mind yada yada yada do ratify the cardinalship of udscbt nominated by buffygirl. may I and buffygirl be stuck down if we have erred in this decision.

bigcrag92 (continued...) wrote:by the power vested in me I now name you Cardinal peanut butter and jelly sandwich udscbt. arise my brethren

Such happenings in only a few short newpages of the thread of Time! The painstaking Scaffolding work Megan conducted alone apparently grew tedious to the thread-dwellers of the past, and they turned to various subjects, including the random perversity of BBCode, sleepless Knights, iPads with hover capabilites, and niblings, before once more the stream of consciousness swirled into a gender-neutral pronoun eddy. I waded through the discussion in somewhat of a haze, with a strong sense of déjà vu... Given enough Time, even forum threads will begin to repeat themselves.

I meandered past several more sig-sightings:

Spoiler:

StratPlayer wrote:Another Spoiler for Blitzgirl!Spoiler: The Butler did it!Also, time is recursive, and the world is an hourglass, klein bottle, ant farm, spaceship, 2D, 3D, 2/3D, and potentially all just a dream.

Good to know.

Angelastic wrote:There will be cake on page 360.

Cake is good. As long as it isn't a lie.

StratPlayer wrote:"Time is amazing, each moment that occurs;the more I learn of it, the less I know it.Hail Blitzgirl, of the massive titulars:Time traveler, inspiration, and poet!"

Smithers wrote:Dear BlitzGirl,after all of your messages into the future, I felt compelled to reply by sending one into the past. I hope this message finds you well and that your quest continues strong.

Godspeed,Smithers

It is the first post I have encountered that references my Quest; through the magic of edits, it pre-dates even my own signposts to myself. It is a beacon as I wade across the sea/not-sea of posts electing the Pope of the One True Comic. All is not lost. There is hope yet for me, future-dwellers (or rather, those who dwell in the present Time of this thread, while I stalk through its past)! One day, if all bodes well, I shall meet you among the living newpages. Until then, I journey onward!

And then this happened:

Spoiler:

htom wrote:

ChronosDragon wrote:I awake!

You were all so caught up in your pronoun discussions that you missed an important piece of quest information from Blitzgirl: <snip>She slowly but surely catches up. We should prepare a ceremony for when she finally reaches us, in the future!

Yes! A ceremony is definitely called for, and a custom title. "Omnilector of Time" perhaps.

I thought the title was the end of it. But nooo...a parallel conversation:

ChronosDragon wrote:

edo wrote:

Febrion wrote:

StratPlayer wrote:

ChronosDragon wrote:She slowly but surely catches up. We should prepare a ceremony for when she finally reaches us, in the future!

You are right! If Helper is still AWOL, I propose we make BlitzGirl the new Pope upon her arrival!

Which then leads to the question: Is "Pope" a genderless title, or do we need to come up with an alternative?

Speaking as an outsider (to the religion, not an "Outsider"), since there hasn't been a female Pope, it's hard to tell. Would they be called a Mome? If a Mome and a Pope owned a shop, would it be a Mome and Pope shop?The if the knights are of the Eastern church, they will be welcomed by the Western Paradox Church, (who will no doubt shun them.)

Au contraire, a quick google search for "female pope" reveals Pope Joan, who may or may not be fictional but nevertheless proves that Pope is a genderless title.

Now Wait just a newpix! I didn't sign up for this!

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

After long meditation I declare that if when Too-Many-Titles BlitzGirl catch up with the thread she will be recognized as Living Blessed because the success of her Holy Quest is clearly a miracle.If, when that happen, she will still be in full at least partial possession of her faculties, that will be considered a second miracle and she will be cannonized as Living Saint.

I feel that shooting a somebody out of a cannon may be detrimental to their health.

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

I don't know if Helper will come back, or will wish to retain their post (perhaps they have forsaken us, and use only the Book of Aubron). We shall elect a new Pope upon your arrival.Until then, I, along with the others here in the present, Wait for It. And for you. Keep it up!

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

I don't know if Helper will come back, or will wish to retain their post (perhaps they have forsaken us, and use only the Book of Aubron). We shall elect a new Pope upon your arrival.Until then, I, along with the others here in the present, Wait for It. And for you. Keep it up!

Is the method of electing a new Pope at all similar to the methods of the Catholic Church?

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

I don't know if Helper will come back, or will wish to retain their post (perhaps they have forsaken us, and use only the Book of Aubron). We shall elect a new Pope upon your arrival.Until then, I, along with the others here in the present, Wait for It. And for you. Keep it up!

Is the method of electing a new Pope at all similar to the methods of the Catholic Church?

No, Timewaiter Pope selection is not based on the rhythm method at all. It's fairly irregular and spontaneous.

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

I don't know if Helper will come back, or will wish to retain their post (perhaps they have forsaken us, and use only the Book of Aubron). We shall elect a new Pope upon your arrival.Until then, I, along with the others here in the present, Wait for It. And for you. Keep it up!

Is the method of electing a new Pope at all similar to the methods of the Catholic Church?

No, Timewaiter Pope selection is not based on the rhythm method at all. It's fairly irregular and spontaneous.

And the only smoke is due to friction...

Former Forever member of the OTT, now moved on to other things sucked back in by the wowterful wonder of the thread...

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

This is all too much. I need to coma. Hopefully Pope Helper shows up somewhere in the thread between my present and your present, and we can forget this whole thing even came up.

I don't know if Helper will come back, or will wish to retain their post (perhaps they have forsaken us, and use only the Book of Aubron). We shall elect a new Pope upon your arrival.Until then, I, along with the others here in the present, Wait for It. And for you. Keep it up!

Is the method of electing a new Pope at all similar to the methods of the Catholic Church?

No, Timewaiter Pope selection is not based on the rhythm method at all. It's fairly irregular and spontaneous.

And the only smoke is due to friction...

And has far less involvement from the Temporal Illuminati, which don't exist, and we are very disappointed by this, if we existed, which we don't.

fhorn wrote:In addition, I don't think those vegetables are gonna get off the ground.

Not without a good headwind...

Well, these are specially genetically modified vegetables designed for lift, power, and high fiber. Plus, you underestimate the ability of ducks to fly cumbersome objects adroitly.

But what if the vegetables are on a treadmill, moving at the same speed in the other direc- wait, nevermind...

YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH

Does anybody have any idea of what the hell energy is? It's the thing that, when applied to something, gives itself to the thing so that the thing can expend it, applying it to other things in multiple forms of it. What the hell is it?

fhorn wrote:In addition, I don't think those vegetables are gonna get off the ground.

Not without a good headwind...

Well, these are specially genetically modified vegetables designed for lift, power, and high fiber. Plus, you underestimate the ability of ducks to fly cumbersome objects adroitly.

But what if the vegetables are on a treadmill, moving at the same speed in the other direc- wait, nevermind...

We're all wrong on the internet.

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

buffygirl wrote:I, Timewaiter Buffygirl, Cardinal of The One True Comic, do hereby nominate you, udscbt, for the position of Cardinal. -poof!- You're a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Wait, that's not right - - -

bigcrag92 wrote:I Bigcrag92 being of soundish mind yada yada yada do ratify the cardinalship of udscbt nominated by buffygirl. may I and buffygirl be stuck down if we have erred in this decision.

bigcrag92 (continued...) wrote:by the power vested in me I now name you Cardinal peanut butter and jelly sandwich udscbt. arise my brethren

Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to worry. Unless you don't like to be burnt by the Inquisition, then you should worry.This reminds me that once I started to recite the digits of Pi with "three point two... doh"一, it happens.

一: then I restarted and went through the first 120 or so digits without errors二二: yes, I spent some of my time三 to learn a lot of useless digits of Pi that I will never use because I will never need that level of approximation三四: sorry, I meant Time四: I saw that footnotes are quite popoular, so I though: "Why not?"

Thanks.

And nice hieroglyphical footnotes.

Caswallon wrote:

Spoiler:

Asthanius wrote:

Caswallon wrote:

Qalyar wrote:

Asthanius wrote:

fhorn wrote:

Caswallon wrote:*ducks flying vegetables*

Ducks flying vegetables? Really, now, this is getting ridiculous.First of all, where would they even get pilots' licences???

From the academy of course!

Does it rain there?

And if so, is it in the middle of the sea?

Strangely enough, it rains cats and dogs. Not only do we not know how they get up there, but we don't know why they keep going back up or how they got to the middle of the sea in the first place.

Well, the dogs I get, you just throw a ball and they go anywhere. The cats on the other hand, to paraphrase Cueball & Megan, "I don't know"

StratPlayer wrote:

fhorn wrote:In addition, I don't think those vegetables are gonna get off the ground.

Not without a good headwind...

Well, these are specially genetically modified vegetables designed for lift, power, and high fiber. Plus, you underestimate the ability of ducks to fly cumbersome objects adroitly.

And because it's a NewPage since the last one:

What is the airspeed velocity of these fully-laden ducks?

Former Forever member of the OTT, now moved on to other things sucked back in by the wowterful wonder of the thread...

Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to worry. Unless you don't like to be burnt by the Inquisition, then you should worry.This reminds me that once I started to recite the digits of Pi with "three point two... doh"一, it happens.

一: then I restarted and went through the first 120 or so digits without errors二二: yes, I spent some of my time三 to learn a lot of useless digits of Pi that I will never use because I will never need that level of approximation三四: sorry, I meant Time四: I saw that footnotes are quite popoular, so I though: "Why not?"

Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to worry. Unless you don't like to be burnt by the Inquisition, then you should worry.This reminds me that once I started to recite the digits of Pi with "three point two... doh"一, it happens.

一: then I restarted and went through the first 120 or so digits without errors二二: yes, I spent some of my time三 to learn a lot of useless digits of Pi that I will never use because I will never need that level of approximation三四: sorry, I meant Time四: I saw that footnotes are quite popoular, so I though: "Why not?"

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

NO MEGAN, DON'T DO IT. IT'S TOO LATE THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO!! except maybe something amazing like turn the tides or something, or retract the sandcastle so that the water no longer reaches it...

Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to worry. Unless you don't like to be burnt by the Inquisition, then you should worry.This reminds me that once I started to recite the digits of Pi with "three point two... doh"一, it happens.

一: then I restarted and went through the first 120 or so digits without errors二二: yes, I spent some of my time三 to learn a lot of useless digits of Pi that I will never use because I will never need that level of approximation三四: sorry, I meant Time四: I saw that footnotes are quite popoular, so I though: "Why not?"

NO MEGAN, DON'T DO IT. IT'S TOO LATE THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO!! except maybe something amazing like turn the tides or something, or retract the sandcastle so that the water no longer reaches it...

'Megan' and 'Moses' both start with 'M' and have two syllables and five letters.

HAL9000 wrote:I find it simultaneously fascinating and disturbing that the most profound things I've read in the past months I have encountered in or been led to by an internet forum thread about a webcomic.

The Litany of The Waits:Leader: Later!People:Bye!Leader: Wanna swim?People:Yeah!Leader: PffthhPeople:*cough*Leader: You ok?People:Just got some in my mouth.Leader: Any idea where the river is now?People:Still pretty far out. It's actually retreated a little this week.Leader: I don't understand what the sea is doing.(All observe a meditative silence)Leader: I don't think we can build it much taller than this. People:It's been fun, though!(The leader makes a sipping sound)Leader: Pfffth Pthuh! Yuck.People:I've had worse.Leader: Guess one of us should climb down.People:Yeah.Leader: The sea is rising.People:Yeah.Leader: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.People:Not this fast.Leader: The river hasn't even reached the sea yet.People:The river is small. The sea is big.Leader: How big?People: I don’t know.(Several beats of silence are observed.)Leader: Does it Rain on the Sea?People:I don't know; if it does it seems like a waste.Leader: It rains in the hills where the river comes from, right?People:Sure.Leader: Are there other rivers?People:I don't know.Leader: There must be other rivers.People: Otherwise the sea would dry up.Leader: Maybe it's coming out of the ground.People: Does that happen?Leader: I don't know.

The leader has always asked the questions up to this point, so I think the latest should be:

Leader: There must be other rivers.People: Otherwise the sea would dry up.Leader: Maybe it's coming out of the ground.(Another moment of silent reflection.)Leader: Does that happen?People: I don't know.Leader: I don't know how the sea works.People: I don't know how anything works.